Old World Wisconsin to celebrate 50th anniversary

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Joy Powers: For 50 years, Old World Wisconsin has been immersing visitors in the history of our state. It began as Wisconsin's bicentennial project. The 600-acre site gives visitors a look into the daily lives of Wisconsin's 19th century immigrants. Old World Wisconsin has added several new experiences in the last few years. And to celebrate its history and progress, there will be a 50th anniversary party over 4th of July weekend. To learn about Old World, Wisconsin and help you plan a trip there, Lake Effect's Becky Mortensen is joined by its director, Doug Raney and Amanda Weibel from Travel, Wisconsin. Raney begins with how Old World Wisconsin got its start.

Doug Raney: The vision of Old World Wisconsin really began in the 1950s and '60s with an architect named Richard Perrin. Perrin and others saw historic immigrant homes and farms disappearing across Wisconsin ,and they wanted to preserve them. They wanted to find a way in which to preserve that history and to tell that those stories. And so he partnered with a preservation advocate, Hans Krüther (?). They went to the Wisconsin State Historical Society. And with that support from then director Leslie Fishel, the concept of a living history museum that celebrated Wisconsin's immigrant heritage was born. So now the idea was in place, right? But they had to figure out how to get all of these historic buildings from across the state to Eagle, here in the Kettle Marine State Forest. So they went around the state. They carefully documented all of these different buildings and farms and then moved them and then reconstructed them here in the site right here in Eagle, in the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Becky Mortensen: For someone who has never been to Old World Wisconsin, can you share what people can see and all the different areas they can visit at the site?

Doug Raney: So, Old World Wisconsin is really a 600-acre living history museum, of course sitting in this wonderful, beautiful Kettle Moraine State Forest. It features over 60 original historic buildings from across Wisconsin. Interpreters that are historically accurate and dressed demonstrate, across the site, farming, cooking, trades, and daily life from the 19th century. The site is really divided up into four different areas. Crossroads Village, which is set up as an 1880s small-town Wisconsin community, includes a general store, a church, a blacksmith shop, shoe maker shop, stage coach inn, and of course lots of other historic homes. It's also home to the St. Peter's Church, which is the oldest building on-site, and home to the popular Wheelman's Club bicycle experience. The second large area of the site is called "Life on Farms." And this is where we have a number of German, Polish, and Pomeranian farmsteads. And we have working farms, barns, gardens, and historic buildings. And in fact, they were planting pumpkin seeds just the other day, so lots of different activities and fun things going on there. This area also includes "Story of Pleasant Ridge," which is one of Wisconsin's early African-American farming communities. The other really large area of the site is what we call "Scandinavian Homesteads," and this is where we have Finnish, Danish, Norwegian homes and farm buildings and things like a traditional sauna, a stavor, storage building, and also the raspberry one-room schoolhouse. But probably the most exciting thing, and the thing that probably has changed the most over these last few years, is what we call "The Green." And that's really the central gathering area. It's the welcome experience when you come in, where you can gather with individuals and have some food, some drink, go shopping, and do all the things that you need to do to get yourself prepared for the experience on the site.

Becky Mortensen: Can you talk about some of the ways that Old World Wisconsin has changed over the past 50 years and all the things that have been added, even in the last like five to 10 years?

Doug Raney: Our mission really truly does stay the same, and that is really preserving and sharing Wisconsin immigrant history and heritage. But, like you mentioned, Becky, the visitor experience has really changed quite a bit over the last five-to-seven years. And really, it's connected most recently to what we call "the new arrival experience," which we're still working on. But for the most part, it is now coming to a completion. And it's really connected to a number of different recent additions. And we had the brewhouse, which opened up in 2022. And of course, the brewhouse highlights Wisconsin's fantastic brewing heritage. And connected to that is Witten Abel's Tavern, which is an original 1906 rural tavern that opened up in 2025 and tells a story, of course, of rural life after prohibition. We also added to that area, a traditional beer garden, which was also added in 2025. And of course that connects us to Wisconsin's fantastic German roots. And of course our flagship, if you want to call it that, the new 10,000 square-foot welcome center just opened up on May 2 of 2026, and we have our official opening coming up here on July 3rd.

Becky Mortensen: Yeah, so let's talk about the 50th event that you have coming up. It's over 4th of July weekend, like you mentioned. What can people expect at the event?

Doug Raney: You bet. So this year, the event over the 3rd, 4th and 5th is really celebrating two major milestones. One is Old World Wisconsin's 50th anniversary and, of course, America's 250th birthday, or anniversary. And so on July 3rd, we're having what we call our "Grand Reunion." And here we're gonna have former staff members and families that are connected to the historic buildings and helped to build and make Old World Wisconsin what it is today. They'll be in attendance. And connected to that, we're also going to be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off and officially welcome the new Welcome Center. Then on July 4th and 5th, it's Independence Day weekend, and that's one of our bigger weekends of the year. We'll have parades that will feature decorated wagons and we've got the Madison Brass Band will be performing all weekend long. We have readings of the Declaration of Independence, historic baseball, the ever-popular and really exciting pie eating contests are back, ice cream making demonstrations, and all kinds of family-friendly activities will be going on throughout the site. We also have a really fantastic new exhibition on the history and of Old World Wisconsin. That will open up on July 3rd, and that's going to be opening up in the Luskow Building right next to the Welcome Center.

Becky Mortensen: And I know we were all very disappointed when Schlitz ended production in May, but did I hear something about an old Schlitz recipe being available at the event?

Doug Raney: Yes, we are really super excited about that. Of course, the Schlitz Brewery is no longer with us, and that recipe has not been brewed for quite a while, but we are working with a local brewer here in the area, and we are going to be bringing back the Schlitz recipe. We're going to renaming it for our special 50th anniversary as "Old World Wisconsin Gold." And it's gonna be available starting on July 3rd. We're super, super excited about that.

Becky Mortensen: Wow, nice. I feel like that alone will give people some incentive to come check it out.

Doug Raney: I have a feeling it will go very quickly, so don't hesitate. Be here soon.

Becky Mortensen: Alright, Amanda, we're going to do things a little differently this month. Normally, we would talk about some other things to do around Eagle, where Old World Wisconsin is, to kind of round out a trip. But this month, we are going to focus on our state's history. So Amanda, can you share some other places people can visit around Wisconsin, where they can learn about the state's history.

Amanda Weibel: Yes. Wisconsin has contributed so much to our nation's history, culture and identity, and there are plenty of places to explore and learn about those significant contributions. We've been talking about Old World Wisconsin, and I wanted to point out that that's one of 13 sites and museums operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, so if you are really interested in exploring history, consider becoming a member of the Historical Society. With that membership, you'll get the member passport that grants free entry into all of those 13 sites. You can collect stamps on your passport and earn store discounts and just check out the variety of programming and experiences that they have to offer. You know, one historical society site that I always love to talk about is Circus World. This is a Baraboo attraction, and it's at the original winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus. It's one of the country's most famous circuses, and it has these roots in Wisconsin. They have displays that include the world's largest collection of historic circus wagons, and they also have daily big-top circus performances, which are really fun for the whole family. My son was on the edge of his seat the entire time last summer when we went. So it's so fun to check out. They have some star-spangled celebrations planned, in honor of America 250 this summer, as well. Additionally, Wisconsin's mining and maritime history runs very deep. And if you look closely at our state flag, you will actually see those industries reflected. We have some exceptional museums dedicated to those industries. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc is really phenomenal. You can take a tour of a World War II-era submarine and learn all kinds of unique stories about Wisconsin's maritime history and our nationally-designated shipwreck coast. And that submarine is actually also an Airbnb. So if you want a really unique place to spend the night, check that out. Then, in Platteville, you can tour an 1845 lead-zinc mine at the Mining and Rollo Jameson Museum. It's a great place to really just learn more about that legacy of mining in the Driftless and the miners who eventually gave us the nickname, "The Badger State." Wisconsin has also been home to some very, very visionary minds, people like Frank Lloyd Wright, who went on to become one of America's most famous architects. You can follow his legacy on Wisconsin's Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. This route takes you to nine different Wright-designed sites across Southern Wisconsin and shows a really wide collection of his work. And then my final recommendation, if you are a history buff and an angler, consider a fishing trip to Douglas County to follow in the footsteps of five former US presidents. The Boy's Brule River is dubbed the River of Presidents because it's been visited and fished by Ulysses Grant, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower. It's famed for its trophy-worthy trout and salmon migrating from Lake Superior. And this just really shows what a draw Wisconsin is for its fishing. And it gives you a fun history fact to drop on your next fishing trip.

Becky Mortensen: I had no idea. That's so fascinating. Alright, my last question is gonna be for both of you. Why is it important to have a place like Old World Wisconsin where people can learn about and experience our state's history? And Doug, I'll have you go first.

Doug Raney: So I think a place like Old World Wisconsin really is important because it is an immersive, hands-on place. It's a place where individuals, whether you're an adult, whether you're a child, whatever age you might be, you can come get immersed in and experience and actually touch, do the activity. You can learn about all of this great, great history and experience it. And I think that, you know, individuals love their phones. They love to sit down on the couch and watch TV, but a place like Old World Wisconsin provides you with the opportunity to actually go back in time and experience what the 19th century was really all about. And I that that's really, really important, sites like that and what they do.

Becky Mortensen: Yeah, and Amanda?

Amanda Weibel: When a place can bring history to life in a really immersive and engaging way, like Doug said, that's when you're really going to capture people's interest and make future generations feel connected to the experience that they're learning about. I also find the people who lead these tours and experience are always so knowledgeable and so passionate, that that energy is just contagious and makes that experience so much more enjoyable. You know, Old World Wisconsin does such a great job of that, of sharing those traditions and experiences that helped shaped our state's character. And while they have a 50-year history of helping people travel back through time, the destination is always evolving. You know they're improving the guest experience. We learned about new additions that they've unveiled. They're hosting one-of-a-kind events, giving you more reasons to go back and make some new memories there. At Old World, Wisconsin, you don't just learn about history, you really feel like you're part of it. And it's one of many destinations telling Wisconsin's large impression on American history. You can find spots across our state full of that rich history, places to learn about the people who shaped the place we now call Wisconsin, whether that's the effigy mound-builders, visionary minds like Aldo Leopold and Frank Lloyd Wright, or the stories of those immigrants told at Old World Wisconsin. It's a great reminder that our backyard is a history book waiting to be explored.

Becky Mortensen: Yeah, well said, Amanda. Alright, Doug and Amanda, thank you so much for joining me for Wandering Wisconsin.

Amanda Weibel: Thank you for having us.

Doug Raney: Thank you, Becky.

Joy Powers: Amanda Weibel is the communications officer for Travel Wisconsin. Doug Raney is the director of Old World Wisconsin. They spoke with Lake Effect's Becky Mortenson for this month's Wandering Wisconsin.